Sunchoke Soup With Pumpkin Seeds Recipes

SUNCHOKE SOUP WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Mix 8 cups water and vinegar in large bowl. Working with 1 Jerusalem artichoke at a time, peel and place in vinegar water to prevent discoloration. Set aside.
• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, leek, and garlic; sprinkle with salt and sauté until soft and translucent, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Drain artichokes; rinse well and drain again. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Add to onion mixture and sauté 5 minutes. Add 7 cups vegetable broth, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until artichokes are very tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender until very smooth. Return to pot. Rewarm soup, adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if needed to thin. Stir in cream and season to taste with salt and white pepper. do ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm before continuing. Divide soup among bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds; top with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and some sautéed mushrooms, if desired.
• Tubers of a variety of sunflower; available in the produce section of some supermarkets and at farmers' markets.

SUNCHOKE BISQUE WITH HAZELNUT OIL

Steps:

• Chop the vegetables into 1/2-inch chunks. Heat the sunflower-seed oil in a soup pot, add the vegetables and sauté over high heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes, adding the garlic during the last few minutes. Pour in the stock. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
• Cool briefly, fish out the bay leaves, then purée the soup until perfectly smooth. Return the soup to the stove and add enough milk or cream to thin it to the desired consistency. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve with a few croutons in each bowl and the hazelnut oil drizzled over the top.

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE SOUP WITH CRISPY SAGE LEAVES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the leek and onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the Jerusalem artichokes, water and salt and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat, cover and simmer until the artichokes are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and let cool. Transfer the mixture to a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Gently reheat before serving.
• To crisp the sage leaves, heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and sauté until just crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Garnish each serving with a couple of the sage leaves.

SUNCHOKE (JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE) AND LEEK SOUP WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the leek in the hot oil until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the sunchokes, celery, carrot, and garlic into the leeks. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves and 1/2 bunch chopped tarragon. Increase the heat to high; cook and stir until the vegetables are hot, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour the vermouth into the pan; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the vegetable broth, reduce heat to medium-low, and bring the mixture to a simmer; cook until the vegetables are completely tender, about 30 minutes. Reserving a few sprigs for garnish, add the watercress to the soup; allow the watercress to wilt in the hot soup, about 5 minutes.
• While the soup simmers, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms to the melted butter, season with salt and pepper, and cook until completely tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining tarragon and set aside.
• Remove and discard the bay leaves. Reserve about 1/3 of the soup in a separate pot. Pour the other 2/3 of the soup into a blender in batches, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Holding the lid of the blender with towel, carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into the pot with the unblended portion. Serve in bowls, topping each with a large spoonful of the cooked mushrooms and a sprig of watercress.